Budget and Finance members expect to soon review first draft of 2017-2018 Budget

DOVER, Tenn. — Step one is complete for Stewart County Commission’s Budget and Finance Committee as its budget hearings wrapped up.

Next, they will hear from county Finance Director Heather Morgan, who is preparing a budget draft for the committee’s March 22 meeting.

Committee members asked Morgan to formulate the proposed 2017-2018 Budget without any salary increases figured in so they would have a baseline from which to determine if money is available for pay raises, as well as how much any raises might be.

During the committee’s March 15 meeting, Sheriff Deryk Wyatt presented his proposed budget for the coming year and Chuck Gant of Stewart County Fire & Rescue answered questions about how money from the county would be spent.

The county supports Fire & Rescue, which is not a county department, with an annual donation, similar to how it supports other non-profit entities in the community. This year’s donation would be $110,000.

Gant while the organization is composed of volunteers, the firefighters are professionals who provide a public service.

“We need to have the public’s trust about how we handle our money,” he said. “They need to have the understanding that we are responsible stewards of all the money we get.”

Committee member Jan Black agreed but asked Gant for more details about how money contributed by the county is spent.

The county requires entities requesting donations to submit financial information about the organization and a budget to show how the county money is to be used.

Specifically, Black wanted to know more about $89,000 and $82,000 listed in the past two years’ budgets listed as “other expenses.”

Gant said the amounts were mostly loan payments for a $100,000 loan, which was consolidated with about $80,000 of outstanding debt. He added that $180,000 debt has been paid off in 2 ½ years.

Black requested an itemized listing of Fire & Rescue’s spending in 2015 and 2016, which Gant agree to supply.

“It’s our duty to know where the taxpayer’s money is spent,” he said.

Sheriff’s budget

Wyatt told committee members his budget had reduced in some areas such as personnel while increasing a bit in other areas related to opening the new jail and sheriff offices.

Last year’s budget projections were “a shot in the dark,” he said, but after a year in the new facility to set a baseline, “I feel like we should be close” on predicting operation costs.

For example, the projected cost of electricity was $57,600 last year, but more than $37,000 had to be shifted to cover the actual cost. For 2017-2018, he is budgeting $74,000 for electricity.

The sheriff also noted a $275,000 contract that covers food service and medical services at the jail, which bring the facility into state compliance with new laws and is more economical for the county. He added the cost breaks down to $1.55 per inmate meal under the contract, which only requires him to supply two trusties to assist.

Wyatt, like most other officeholders and department heads, requested pay increases for his employees.

He told committee members his personnel budget actually decreased $26,800 because the majority of employees are new and earn starting wages.

However, he urged commissioners to support his step raise plan that increases pay according to time of service and experience. Such raises help to retain officers, which the county invests money to train them.

Wyatt said because most employees are new, adding 25 cents per hour for the various steps now would be an advantageous measure.

Black said he would rather look at a pay scale for all county employees rather than for individual departments.

Mark Hicks can be reached at 931-212-7626 or on Twitter: @markhicksleaf.